I Don't Remember
by FierceKoinu
Summary: Chai, an original character, can't really remember her past very well because she lost her home when she was so young. When darkness swallows her world she loses everything and is dumped from darkness into the ocean surrounding Destiny Islands.
1. Endings and Beginings

**Oh boy, i've a new story! This has technically been a long time in the making but i've never really written it down. I have pictures of the main character on my deviantart page, myabe i'll go find links and put them in later chapters so you can see her. This is a Kingdom Hearts** **story. **

**The being is the main character on her original world before hearless destroy it. the spots where it says "fizzy noise" is where her brother is saying her name, but since she doesn't remember it , i needed to puit something. So in her memory it's just a blank noiseless space.**

**So here it is, and i hope you like it. **

**

* * *

-I Don't Remember-**

**Endings and Beginnings**

"Hurry up _fizzy noise_, we're almost there! I can hear the river now"

"I'm going as fast as a can, Lisson!" I responded, a slight lisp to my voice because of the front tooth I had lost earlier that day. Lisson, my neighbor and friend for as long as I'd been alive, told me that if I put it under my pillow tonight, the tooth fairy would come and take it, but she would leave money in payment. I was really excited about it. After lunch I had agreed to go with Lisson to the river where we often went to play. Lisson was 10 while I was still only 4, but he still spent time with me. Even though I saw other little kids completely ignored by older kids in favor of being with others their own age, Lisson still hung out with me, protected me, watched out for me. He was a hero in my eyes. It was that day that it went horribly wrong.

"Careful with this log _fizzy noise_, your mum'll probably skin me if you twist your ankle," Lisson called back, carefully stepping over the log himself. I heard a noise behind me and twisted around quickly. Whispered words seemed to be born on the wind.

_This world...connected...darkness _

I only caught snatches of what was being said. "Lisson? Do you hear that?"

I heard Lisson pause but he only said, "I don't hear anything. Come on! We're just about there!" I shrugged and turned back around, crawling carefully over the fallen log Lisson had warned me about. Then a heard a slithering noise, like something crawling through the dry leaves all around on the ground. I glanced back over the log but didn't see anything. Spooked, I hurried to catch up to my friend. I tugged on his sleeve when I caught up.

"Lisson, I think something is following us." One of the best things about Lisson is that he took me seriously; he didn't treat me like a little kid who scared themselves over branches in the wind. Lisson looked at the path behind us, carefully surveying it.

"Are you sure something's there _fizzy noise_?" I nodded. Something was there. I could feel it in the chill that traveled up my spine. A noise came again and this time Lisson heard it. "Get behind me _fizzy noise_," he said, gently pushing me behind him before addressing the empty trail behind us, "We know you're there, show yourself!"

A speck of shadow seemed to grow, and out of it raised a small black creature. It moved with a twitching gait and its eyes glowed bright yellow. Sharp talons adorned each finger. Then more rose up, shadows growing to reveal more and more creatures. "What the..." Lisson murmured. The beings surveyed us with empty yellow eyes, then suddenly attacked. Lisson grabbed a large stick and batted a couple away.

"_Fizzy_ _noise_! Run! To the river! I'll be right behind you!" To the river, where the sun shined bright and shadow throwing trees pulled away from the bank. I turned and began running, my tiny feet crushing leaves loudly. I heard Lisson's larger feet crunching along behind me. I heard Lisson grunt and hit the ground.

"Lisson!" I yelled and turned around--I tripped backwards and was sent sprawling onto my back. I watched with large, horrified eyes as one of the small beings slashed into my friend's chest and stole his heart. I hardly noticed the shadows pooling beneath me until I began sinking into them. I began to struggle, screaming, "Lisson! Lisson! No!" Lisson's body broke into a million tiny sparks as I was swallowed whole by the dark.

Tears coursed down my cheeks. Darkness was everywhere and I seemed to be suspended in a black abyss. "Lisson," I murmured to myself, wiping at my streaming eyes and nose. Solid ground met my feet but I was too weak to stand and I collapsed onto the ground I couldn't even see. I fell quickly into unconsciousness.

I only woke again when I felt the surface below me shatter and I began to fall headfirst into more darkness. Slowly the dark shifted to something else--a night sky, stars burning bright to every side. I was blazing my own path among them. It seemed to take forever but the scene changed once more; I was falling through a sky, lit by a glorious sunset or sunrise--I did not know which. Below me water seemed to stretch on forever. I plummeted into the cold azure blue waves then rocketed as fast as possible back to the surface for air. I gasped in deep breaths as waves batted me around. There was no land in site and I was quickly losing consciousness. My limbs lost strength and the waves carried me where they willed.

I woke again faintly when I felt damp sand beneath me. It was warm and comfortable, as the sun seemed to be shining brightly, so I simply lied there, and let myself fall back into unconsciousness.

--

"I'll race you to the water!" a young boy's voice called.

"You're on!" replied another. Their voices woke me and I realized that my head was pounding. When I tried opening my eyes the sunlight made them water; I quickly closed them once more.

"Hey, Riku, what's that over there?"

"Over where?"

"Over there!" The voices were closer.

"I think it's a person"

"I think you're seeing-" but then the voice cut off as footsteps made the sand around me shift.

"It is a person!" The boy's voice was loud and did nothing for my headache. I began to feel nauseated.

"She doesn't look too good..." the second boy said, "Maybe we should go get somebody."

"But should we just leave her here alone?"

"You're right, I'll go find someone and you stay here"

"Okay!" I heard the other boy run back the way the two had come. "Don't worry, Riku will find someone to help, you'll be just fine. My name is Sora," the boy paused; he didn't seem to know if I was awake or not but seemed to want to comfort me. I opened my eyes a crack to see two big blue eyes under a mop of unruly brunette hair and the biggest smile I had even seen in my life. Then the pain in my head was too much and I passed out.

Memories were few and far between after that. I remember the motion of being in a boat, and of being carried. I remember lots of worried voices, but nothing that they said. I remembered lying in a bed, with people standing over it. Sometimes the little boy with the smile was there--I was glad that I recognized someone. I never got my eyes open more then a crack before I felt too sick to remain awake. Sometimes I noticed another boy with the boy with the smile, and I guessed it was the other boy who found me.  
When I slept I dreamed of what had happened: of the shadow creatures, of Lisson, and how they stole his heart. It seemed I was in that bed forever.

Then came a day when consciousness didn't hurt. I didn't hear anything. Slowly I opened my eyes, worried this was a dream in which the moment my eyes were open I would see Lisson, his heart clutched in the hand of a shadow. But I didn't. I saw a quaint little room of which I had only glimpsed snatches of before. I opened my eyes bigger and my head only pounded vaguely. Slowly I turned my head to look around me. No one was in the room with me. I was in a small bed, the covers were plain white, but the walls were a comforting blue colour. There was a window on one wall, opened to let in a comfortingly cool breeze that smelled like salt-water. Dark blue curtains adorned the window. There was a door in the wall opposite of the bed I laid on. I turned my head farther and noticed there was a jar on a table, filled with flowers, half of which appeared to actually be weeds. A small handmade card was propped up against the vase that had carefully formed letters written in what appeared to be red crayon, "_Wake up soon so we can play! From Sora_" and added beneath Sora name in sloppy handwriting was "_& Riku_" as if the other boy had been forced to sign it. Suddenly the door opened, revealing a woman carrying a bowl of water and rags.

When she saw that I had my eyes opened she proclaimed rather loudly, "Oh my! Dear, you're awake!" I blinked at a throb of pain that her voice brought to my head, but I stayed conscious. The woman walked over quickly and set the bowl on a bedside table then sat on the edge of my bed. "Oh, how do you feel?" the woman asked in a softer voice that didn't hurt my head. Slowly I raised an arm and indicated my head.

"Your head hurts?" I nodded. "I suppose that could be expected, I'm just glad you're finally awake. You have been sleeping for three weeks; we were worried you would never wake. If Riku and Sora hadn't found you…" the woman shook her head as if unwilling to continue the sentence.

To change the subject the woman asked, "Are you thirsty dear?" I nodded. "I'll be right back with some water then, and some soup! You must be starving!" The woman was right, I _was_ very hungry. The woman left the room, leaving the door open. In the hallway I heard, "Watch where you are going young man"

"Sorry!" said a boy sheepishly and then the smiling boy appeared in the doorway. I stared at him and his mouth fell open. "You're awake!" he said loudly then called behind him, "Riku! She's awake!" I winced at how loud his voice was then the other boy walked into the room.

"Sora, you should really stop shouting, she probably has a headache and you'll only make it worse."

Sora looked horrified and turned to me, speaking in almost whisper now. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" I shook my head to show it was okay. He grinned the big smile again and bounded up to the side of the bed. "I don't know if you remember but I'm Sora! And this is Riku!" I glanced at the other boy. He had long silver hair that hung in his aquamarine eyes. Both boys appeared to be about my age. "I hope you like the flowers! We picked them ourselves!" Riku shot his friend a look as if to say 'you picked them, not me'. I smiled faintly but Sora noticed and grinned. Just then the woman walked back in the room.

"I hope you two aren't bothering her! Now why don't you two shoo? She needs to eat and rest."

"But she's been resting for _three weeks_!" complained Sora and I smiled. The woman handed me a glass of water and a quickly drank some while she turned on the boys.

"If you want her to get better, you've got to let her rest." Sora sighed and seemed to give up. I picked up the bowl of soup the woman had set down and slowly began eating. With each spoonful I seemed to feel stronger. My head still hurt but it wasn't really a problem. I sat up straighter and quickly finished off the bowl. By the time the woman turned back I was finished and holding up the bowl pleadingly.

"My, you must really be hungry, just a minute, I'll get you some more." The woman left once more and chased Sora and Riku out of the building by the sound of it. I took another sip of water, then decided to throw off the covers and try to stand. The moment I removed the covers I realized that I was in a white nightgown. I frowned down at it then swung my legs over the side of the bed. Gently I touched down on the floor and tested my weight on my legs. At first it as difficult to stand because both legs were asleep, but as they gradually woke up I stood. I took a couple wobbling steps then stood strait. It was easier then I thought it would be. I looked back down at the nightgown in disgust. I had never particularly liked anything with a skirt. The woman walked back in the room.

"Alright dear, here's some more soup- Oh my! You shouldn't be out of bed yet! You're not-" I looked up at her and she stopped, as if realizing it would be no use arguing with me. Since I had her attention I pointed at the nightgown and gave and look of disgust. The woman laughed.

"You'll be wanting clothes I venture?" she asked and I nodded. The woman handed me the soup, "You sit down and eat that, and I'll go see what I can find. I'm sorry but the clothes that you were wearing when you got here are completely ruined." I sat down on the edge of my bed and nodded. I heard the woman leave the room as I started to eat the new bowl of soup. I had finished the soup and walked a number of laps around the room by the time the woman came back, a bundle of folded clothes in her arms. She also had a brush in her hand.

"I hope you like something in here. There wasn't much for pants, but I guessed you wouldn't like skirts much." I shook my head and she smiled. She laid the clothes on the bed and let me shift through them. After I found clothes she helped me take off the hideous nightgown. Once free of the nightgown, I pulled a green shirt over my head. The shirt had short-sleeves and a light green x pattern across the front. The shirt was followed by a pair of black shorts; they were a little big so I used a belt to hold them up. Finally I pulled on a sleeveless vest with a high collar that zipped up in front. It was black with an icy blue heart on the front. It reminded me of Lisson and what had happened.

After I was dressed the woman convinced me to sit down so she could comb my hair, which had grown wild while I slept. The woman combed it until it was strait then asked if I'd like it put up. I thought for a minute them held my hair up in two pigtails. About five minutes later the woman had put up my hair in pigtails and I was fidgeting to get out. Maybe it was because I had been in bed for three weeks, but I couldn't sit still. The woman sighed.

"I suppose you'll be wanting to go out now?" I looked at her pleadingly. She sighed, "Fine, I'm sure those two troublemakers are still lurking about outside the front door. Just be sure not to overexert yourself." I hugged the woman and the left the room, glancing left and right. The woman walked out behind me and laughed, "It's this way," and she turned left. I followed her down the hallway and down a flight of stairs until we reached the front door.

"Here we are." she opened the door and I saw a street lined with houses. Suddenly Sora's head popped into view.

"Hey! You're out of bed"

"She wants to go out and play"

"Yay! Let's go!" Sora grabbed my hand and happily began wandering away, Riku at his side as I dragged along.

"Wait! Don't you want any shoes? Or some sun screen?" the woman called after me but I shook my head and waved. The woman smiled and closed the door. I looked around me as Sora pulled me along. Wherever I was it seemed to be tropical; trees with coconuts were everywhere.

Sora turned to look at me, "Would you like to see where we found you?" I nodded. "Yay! Then we have to go this way. We have to take boats to go there. It's our own special play island, Riku and me," Sora paused in thought, "Well and some other kids too"  
I turned to look at Riku as Sora dragged me on. I hadn't heard him speak much, only once since I had woken up this last time.  
Riku noticed me looking at him and asked defensively, "What?" I smiled at him.

"I think she's just curious, you don't say anything. I've never seen you act shy before Riku," Sora said matter-of-factly.

"I'm not."

"We're here!" Sora called joyfully. In front of us was a long wooden peer, boats of all shapes and sizes tied up on either side. "Our boats are waaaaaay on the end. Come on!" Sora pulled me out on the peer and kept walking until we reached the end where two small boats were tethered.

"Hmmm, I would have you ride with me, but Riku is stronger so it'll be easier for him to row both of you." I was beginning to realize Sora was very honest. "Is that okay"

I wasn't sure if he was asking Riku or me but I nodded anyway.

"Good! Let's get going!" Sora also seemed to have endless energy. Sora steadied his boat then crawled in. I watched as Riku did the same with his as I remained on the dock. I bit my lip, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get into the boat. Riku glanced up when I didn't get in the boat after him and sighed.

"Here, I'll hold it, you just have to step in. But be careful not to slip or rock the boat too much or it will tip." I smiled at him and then carefully climbed into the boat. I sat down on one of the beams that crossed the boat and waited.

"Ready to go?" Sora asked and Riku responded that we were. "Alright, off we go then." Sora and Riku each picked up oars and soon the two boats left the dock far behind. It wasn't long before a new island loomed up before us.

"That's our play island! You'll like it, I'm sure," Sora called from the other boat. "There's some more kids our age that go there too. Wakka, Selfie, and Tidus," Sora said, naming them off. I hoped they would be nice like Sora and Riku. Soon the boats brushed up against a small dock branching off the island, three other boats were already there and a young girl sat at the end of the dock with a jump rope in her hands. She jumped up when she saw Sora and Riku's boats dock. Sora climbed out of his boat quickly and tied up his boat, Riku doing the same, then held his boat still so I could climb out. The girl quickly approached the two boys, not yet noticing me.

"Sora, Riku! Look at what I got today! A jump rope! Isn't it the greatest and-" the girl stopped mid-sentence and squealed. "Is that the new girl that you guys found on the beach? She's all better? How do you like it here? I'm Selfie!" The girl spoke so fast I was barely able to keep up. Finally I smiled brightly at her.

"She doesn't really talk much..." commented Riku as Selfie waited for a response.  
"Hey, she and Selfie are like opposites then! Selfie talks all the time and she never does! Ouch!" Sora said then regretted it when Selfie smacked him with her new jump rope. "Ow Selfie, that was mean!"

"You deserved it!" Selfie replied and turned to me. "Well I hope you like it here! I'm gonna go practice with my jump rope!" Selfie said and ran off.

Riku shook his head, "Sometimes I wonder if she'll explode from all her energy." Sora laughed and I smiled.

Sora dragged me up the dock on onto the sand, "Here, we found you just over here." Sora led me to the edge of the sand where the waves lapped at my bare feet. I stared out at the ocean and wondered how it was that I had managed to get here. I was smart enough to realize I wasn't in my world anymore. I sat down in the damp sand and trailed my hands in the waves that touched my feet. Suddenly Sora asked a question, "What's your name?" I looked away from the water to stare at Sora. "Well, you have to have a name. We can't just keep calling you 'hey you' or 'girl', can we?" Still I just stared at Sora. I remembered Lisson, I remembered Lisson saying my name, I remembered him telling me to run, but no matter how I tried, I could not remember my name itself.

"Maybe she doesn't understand English?" Riku suggested and I promptly picked up and threw a handful of sand at him.

"I think she understands just fine," Sora commented with a laugh while Riku blinked rapidly, trying to get the sand out of his eyes. Suddenly a blue and white coloured ball landed in the sand next to me. I picked it up curiously and looked up when I heard a voice call.

"Hey, can ya throw the ball back, yah?" A boy with bright red hair was the source. I tossed the ball back as he began walking over. "Hey, you're new, yah? My name's Wakka." A blonde boy came running over after Wakka.

"Wakka, I thought you were gonna teach me how to play blitzball?" the boy complained.

"This is Tidus, he's not very patient, you know?" Tidus suddenly noticed me.

"Heeeeey, you're the new girl"

"You're brilliant as always Tidus," Riku commented sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

"Thanks!"

"Tidus, I think he was making fun of you, you know?" Wakka told the boy.

"Oh...hey!" I laughed; I liked these people and the strange ways they acted.

"Well anyway, I gotta go teach Tidus how to play Blitzball, you know? See you later!" Wakka and Tidus walked away again. Riku was shaking his head while watching them walk away.

"Hey, I know! Let's show her our secret spot!" Sora suggested excitedly.

"Then it won't be secret anymore you moron," Riku responded.

Sora pouted in thought then smiled, "But then it can be our secret spot, all three of us!" Riku looked at me, as if trying to decide, then shrugged.

"I guess that could work."

"Yay! Come on!" Sora grabbed my hand and began dragging me off. Soon we found ourselves in front of some vines that grew near a waterfall. "Through here!" Sora said excitedly then lead me through a small gap in the wall. There was a dark tunnel that finally opened into a chamber, tree roots growing from the sides. My mouth fell open in four-year-old wonder. It was amazing. Sora grinned.

"You like it?" I nodded enthusiastically. Riku leaned against a wall.

"Come look at this!" Sora led me to a wall were I could see little carvings. "See, we use rocks and carve little pictures on the walls!"

"You want to try?" I hadn't noticed Riku come over by us. I nodded and Riku handed me a small rock. I smiled and took it then turned to the wall, trying to decide what to carve into it. It came to me and I started to draw.

Finally Sora said it was time to start heading back; I nodded and finished one last line and put the rock down. I smiled over my picture and followed Riku and Sora out of the secret place, glancing one last time at the crystalline heart I had drawn. It didn't take long to row back to the main island that everyone lived on. Riku and Sora made sure I got back to were I was staying before running off in different directions to get home for supper. I waved after them then opened the door. The woman was walking down the hall at the time and smiled at me.

"Did you have a good time?" I smiled and nodded. "How are you feeling?" I took a moment to think; I hadn't noticed when but my head had stopped hurting. I smiled and gave the woman a thumb's up sign. "That's good. Come with me to the kitchen, and we'll get some supper in you." I smiled and skipped after her.

I lived a number of weeks that way. I never said a word, and almost every night I had nightmares about Lisson having his heart stolen. Everyday Sora called me by a new name, hoping one of them would work--most of them he made up him self. But I really didn't want to be called 'Franketta', 'Wilsenda', or 'Ameilella'. Riku rolled his eyes at each new name while I tended to stick my tongue out to show I didn't approve. Sora wasn't discouraged. I sometimes wondered if he stayed up each night trying to think of a new one. The woman I stayed with avoided the name problem by always calling me 'dear'.

It took four and a half weeks before I found a name. I was with Sora and Riku, simply wandering around town when I saw a sign in front of a coffee shop. It said something about Chai tea. I stopped and looked at it curiously, which caused Riku and Sora to stop and come back to see what I was looking at. I pointed to the sign in question.

"'Chai tea'?" Riku asked and I nodded. "It's a drink, with spices. I don't know; it tastes good." I tilted my head to the side. "Why don't we get some?" Sora suggested followed by Riku shrugging. Personally I thought it was strange that a four and five year old (as Riku made sure everyone knew he was a year older and so better) would know about anything sold in a coffee shop but I followed them in anyway. It turned out that it wasn't just a coffee shop, but ice cream too, which explained why Sora and Riku seemed to know the place. They walked up to the counter where a teenage girl stood.

"Hey you guys, what can I get you?"

"Some Chai Tea, please," Sora said.

"Oh, so you saw the sign? Boss thought maybe it would help bring in customers."

"Actually Wilsenda saw the sign," Sora said, indicating me. The girl behind the counter grinned.

"So it's Wilsenda today then? How do you like that name?" she asked me. It seemed that everyone knew of Sora's mission to find me a name. I shook my head with a look of disgust and the girl laughed and winked.

"You know, I kinda agree," she said and then turned to make some Chai Tea. "There you go, three Chai teas. That'll be 6 munny please." Riku dug in his pocket as he was the only one who actually had any munny. He handed over six pieces and the girl took them.

"Thanks! Please enjoy! See you guys later!" I picked up my cup and followed the two boys to a small table.

"Careful when you drink it, it's hot," Riku warned, and sipped his. Sora, of course, promptly burned his tongue then hopped around because it hurt but Riku seemed to have expected that. Carefully I sipped at the drink and immediately loved it. I tasted great. I smiled widely and drank some more. Sora stopped hoping around and watched me, he appeared deep in thought.

"Do you like it then?" asked Riku. I nodded vigorously.

I took another drink and jumped when Sora suddenly yelled, "I've got it"

"You've got what?" Riku asked, handing me a napkin to clean up the tea I had spilt when I jumped.

"The perfect name!" Sora cried as Riku rolled his eyes.

"Why don't we call you Chai?" Sora asked me, "Would you like that?" I thought about it; now that he mentioned it, I kinda liked it. Finally I grinned and nodded, then took a sip from my namesake.

"Yay! I succeeded! I found a name for Chai!" Riku shook his head and smiled.

* * *

**that's it for this part, i couldn't decide where to stop it, so i did here otherwise it would be reeeeally long. I at least wanted her to get her name in. i realize that it is really strange that she was named after tea, but that's just the way it is. I'd really like to know what anyone thinks of it, even though there's not really much there right now. i'd be very thankful for any support! **

**And i need to think of a better title, but for now, it'll just be 'i don't remember' because i can't think of anything.**


	2. It Speaks!

**- I Don't Remember: Chapter 2-**

**It Speaks!**

The nightmares about Lisson started coming less and less and I started having good dreams filled with my new friends. After a while I began to worry that if I didn't talk soon I would loose the ability, but after spending so long not talking it was hard to start again. I decided I had to wait for the right moment. It was a little over four months after I first woke up that the day came, though I wouldn't have guessed the circumstances.

Sora and Riku were racing; they did that a lot. I didn't join their races at first--I was still recovering from being sick--but as time went on and I got back to perfect health I did run with them. At first I wasn't very good, but with practice I could keep up with, and sometimes beat, them. This particular day we had set up a rather complicated course, in which I only felt slightly confident. We asked Selfie to give us the start, which she was very enthusiastic to do.

"Ready? Set?...GO!" Selfie yelled and we were off. Riku was in first but Sora and I were right behind him. I glanced at Sora, gave him a smile, and then put on a burst of speed, pulling ahead of Riku.

"Hey!" Sora complained, and tried to run faster too. Riku passed me again and Sora was right behind me. Next came a jump. I prayed I would make it. I leapt up, over, over, over, my feet hit solid ground and I kept running, smiling in relief. Riku was just ahead of me so I tucked my chin into my chest and let my legs fly. I was neck in neck with Riku when I saw it. The plank from which we would next jump was loose; it wouldn't hold for more than a moment. Riku and I would make it, but when Sora stepped on it, it would fall from under him. It was too late--Riku and I jumped and I flipped around, "Sora! Look out! The plank is loose!" Sora slid to a stop, toe hitting the board, and it fell. I was panting from running and when I looked away from Sora I saw Riku was staring at me.

I couldn't figure out what had him so shocked until he stuttered out, "Chai, y-you talked!" My eyes widened and I realized he was right; I hadn't even noticed. Finally I smiled and nodded. I turned back to Sora who was gazing over the side of the walkway he still stood on, staring at the board that had fallen.

"Are you okay Sora?" I asked him.

"Yeah, thanks for the warning, Cha-" he said looking back up then suddenly froze as if realizing what he was saying. His head snapped up to look at me and I smiled sheepishly.

"Chai you-!"

"Yes, I know," I said. Selfie was worriedly watching from where we started.

"What's happened?!" she called.

"It's alright, we're all okay!" I called back. Selfie paused then started to jump around excitedly, then ran off to talk with Tidus and Wakka. I shook my head.

"So...how do we get back over there?" I asked Riku.

Riku scratched the back of his neck, "I don't know, I suppose we should jump all the way over the way we were going for the race, then when we get back on land there are some stairs down to the water. If we came back through the water we could probably jump back up onto where we started from."

"Maybe _you_ can, but I don't think I'm tall enough."

"Then I'll help you."

"Fine." We did as he suggested, and it all went fine until we had to try to jump up onto our starting point. I tilted my head back to look at where I was attempting to get.

"You're crazy," I told Riku who shrugged. Sora popped his head over the side.

"I can help you if you get high enough," he suggested. I did a test jump to see if I could make it--nope. Riku sighed.

"Come here," he said. He had me crawl up on his back, then balance on his shoulders, at which height I could reach Sora's hands. I grasped Sora's hands but looked down.

"How are you going to get up?" I asked Riku.

"I'll manage," he responded, which I took to mean, 'hurry up'. With Sora's help I hauled myself up to where we had started this whole mess.

"Stand back," Riku called from below us. I heard splashing from his feet as he ran at the wall and then he leaped and his arms locked over the top. He pulled himself up and over.

"Told you I'd manage," he said.

A squeal alerted us to Selfie's return, Tidus and Wakka in tow.

"Say something, please!" she asked me. I stared at her and Wakka and Tidus shook their heads.

"I knew she was making it up, Chai doesn't talk, that's the way it is," said Tidus matter-of-factly.

"Really?" I asked him and he nodded.

"That's right, you never say anything, and we never ask anything cause you... never... say....Chai you talked!"

"Funny how everyone feels the need to tell me," I commented.

"Well it is kind of a big deal; you haven't said a single word since you got here over four months ago and suddenly you say whole sentences at a time," Riku points out.

"I suppose you're right..."

"So now you'll tell us all about you're past, right?" Selfie asked in excitement.

"Wrong."

"Wrong?" Selfie repeated in confusion. I wasn't smiling anymore and I shook my head.

Tidus elbowed Selfie, "Great! Now you've made her stop talking again!" he accused.

I smiled faintly, "Don't worry, I won't do that. I glanced around, "but I'm gonna go get a drink from the waterfall, talking again after so long makes my throat hurt." I walked away from the group who smiled and nodded, only Riku and Sora seemed to notice that my throat probably wasn't the real reason I was trying to get away from everyone.

I waded into the small pool to the waterfall, it didn't matter that my clothes got wet, they always dried out quick enough in the warm sun here on Destiny Islands; you would think it never rained here if you hadn't experienced it yourself. I tilted my head back under the falling water; it washed over my face and hair.

"Chai?" Sora's voice questioned, and I looked up to see he and Riku sitting on the edge of the pool. I sighed and stepped out of the water and sat down next to them.

"What's bothering you?" Sora asked in concern.

"Did you come to ask about my past too?" I asked, rather harshly.

Sora's eyes were wide, "No, we're just worried about you Chai, you're not happy, we can tell cause we're your friends." Riku nodded in agreement.

I hadn't really had friends before Destiny Islands; Lisson was my friend, my only real friend, before Sora and Riku. All the other little children were always so...well, they only cared for themselves, everything was me, me, me, mine, mine, mine, and if you were different, if your family was different, then you could not be with the other children; they didn't want to be with you. Not if you didn't have a dad, because he walked out on your mom when you were really young. Not if you were smart, and used words that they didn't understand. They didn't like feeling stupid.

"We're...friends?" I asked.

"Of course, stupid," Riku said with a grin and ruffled my hair.

"I've never had real friends before," I said quietly. Sora and Riku were silent for a moment.

"Well then it's a good thing you washed up on our beach then," Riku said.

"Yeah! And Tidus and Wakka and Selfie and everybody else in Destiny Islands are your friends too!" Sora added happily.

My eyes widened, I had so many friends, and I didn't even know it. I felt close to tears. I threw my arms around both of them and they hugged me back. "I'm glad you're my friends," I told them. Finally I sat back and wiped my nose with the back of my hand.

"Do you guys...want to know what happened...in my past?" I asked them. Slowly they both nodded. I took a deep breath, but I couldn't do it, not even for my friends, maybe I wasn't ready. I let the breath out.

"I'm sorry, I can't- not yet. I'm promise that I'll tell you someday. I promise."

Sora smiled, "It's alright, you can tell when you're ready. That's what friends are for!"

"That's right. So when you've got something to say, we'll be there," Riku tweaked my nose and smiled. I finally laughed.

"Thanks you guys." They both grinned and nodded. Sora stretched and yawned.

"Race you to the beach?" he asked, grinning.

"You're on!" Riku and I respond and start running before Sora could say 'Go'.

"Hey! Guys! That's not fair!" Sora called as we laughed, and he started chasing after us.

--

The three of us laid in the sand, watching the clouds go by. Riku had won the race. Then when Sora caught up we all went swimming. Now we were trying to dry off before having to go home.

"Hey, that cloud kinda looks like an egg!" called Sora, pointing.

"That one looks like a Paupo fruit," added Riku, pointing to another cloud, this one vaguely star-shaped.

"That one kinda looks like Riku's head," I finally said.

"Where?" asked Sora.

I pointed, "There, that one, that looks like it has long, girly hair."

"Oh! I see it now!" Sora said oblivious while Riku tosses a handful of sand in my direction.

"I think I liked it better when you didn't talk," he complained as I laughed.


	3. Seven Years Later

**I told you i had the next chapter ready! I am living, breathing proof that reviews do get results! I like knowing if people like or do not like my writing, so please share! **

**Anyway, another nice, long chapter. It kinda came out of no where, i really didn't have this bit planned out at all so i played it by ear and so far i like how it's working. Plus i'm in a good mood cause i just got out of my swim team's senior night meet. Senior's got cake (score! there is so much sugar in my cake i thought i was gonna start bouncing off the walls after one bite) and i got a cute ceramic "rubber" duck. Shut up, i think it's cute. Oh well. Enough of my mindless rambling. Enjoy!**

* * *

**-I Don't Remember: Chapter 3-**

**Seven Years Later **

Sora, Riku, and I became an inseparable trio. Where ever one of us was, the other two were never far behind.

I still lived with the same woman, and life was much simpler when I began speaking again. I spent most of my time away from my adoptive home though. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate it or even that I didn't like it, it was just...awkward sometimes. There were always questions that adults wanted answers to, and it got old fast trying to tell them that I couldn't remember. Sora and Riku were the only ones that didn't bother me about my past, though the other kids were pretty good about it as well. We spent a lot of time on the play island, on days when we didn't have responsibilities on the main island, we would often just stay on the play island overnight. I loved lying on the sandy beach and watching the stars even more than watching the clouds. Sora totally snores, it was always really funny, because he was always the first to fall asleep. I would sit awake and giggle quietly to myself while Riku would roll his eyes and try to ignore both of us. He thought it was funny too, I know it, even if he pretended to be annoyed.

I woke one morning after we had stayed on the play island, groggy and sand covered. The sun was brightly assaulting my eyes, I made sure that my hands were free of sand before rubbing at them. After yawning I stand and try to shake the sand from my hair, laughing as it floats down like snow. Both Riku and Sora were still sleeping, but I knew Sora could sleep forever and Riku was sure to wake any moment. I wandered down to the waters edge when I heard a distant voice. It was only a whisper, and I didn't know what it said but my head snapped up and I listened sharply. The air was silent, a warm wind blew in from the cove, and leaves rustled mutely. I had almost given up, thinking I had been hearing things when the voice came again. It was female, distant, and sounded terrified, and...insubstantial.

It's cold, dark. My world, blackness, where? If I am then it must be, but it is not, then how is it I can be? I'm falling-dark, falling again. Help, my world. Cannot be-cold. Empty. I don't know-who, why am I here? Falling. I'm-

"What in the world are you doing?" Riku's voice cut through my concentration. My head swivels on my neck, causing it to crack.

"Ow!" I complained, rubbing at it, then glared at Riku, "I was-...I don't know. I- heard something I guess..." Riku gave me a weird look.

"Maybe you were still dreaming," he says dismissively and trudges over to where Sora was still asleep.

What was that just now? I asked myself, and shivered, the voice and words had struck a chord somewhere in my memory but I don't know why. I followed Riku's sandy footprints back to Sora. Riku was poking him repetitively with a stick in the side in attempt to wake the boy.

"That is so not going to work," I tell him matter-of-factly.

"I know, but it's funny." I roll my eyes and go to grab a bucket of water from the ocean. I trudge back to the two boys, water sloshing over the edges, and throw it onto Sora, hitting Riku as well. Riku looked affronted.

"Hey? Why'd you hit me?"

"It was funny," I said sarcastically. Meanwhile Sora sat bolt upright, eyes wide.

"Where's the fire?" he yells then looks around sheepishly. "Oh, good morning. Hey Riku, did you know you were soaking wet?"

Riku rolled his eyes, "I was vaguely aware of it, yes," he said, shooting me a glare as I snicker.

I set down the empty bucket and stretch. "Well I'm going home and changing. I have enough sand stuck in my clothing to create a new beach."

"Are you sure you don't want to just try to wash it off?" Riku suggests, plotting.

"Positive," I respond, made slightly nervous by Riku's calculating glance at the ocean behind me. I begin slowly edging away but, too late, Riku lunches forward, lifting me up, none to gently, and throws me into the ocean water.

I sputter and stand, wiping salty water from my eyes. I shake my fist a the laughing Riku on shore. I make a mental note to drill a hole in his boat later. I trudge back to the shore, my soaked clothing made heavy by the water. As I walked back on to the sand Riku smirked, satisfied, and turned to head to our boats. Sora was standing, wringing out his wet hair. Since Riku wasn't watching, I leaned down and picked up a handful of dry sand and when I got close enough to Riku, shoved it down the back of his shirt and ran to my boat, laughing hysterically. By the time he made it to the dock I had my boat pushed off and several feet out into the ocean. I stuck my tongue out at him and began paddling, swiftly, toward the mainland. I knew if I didn't paddle fast and take advantage of my current lead, Riku could catch up and who knows what he might do in retaliation.

I docked my boat on the end of the mainland dock and leaped out, ready to run all the way home, where I would be safe for now, when suddenly I noticed a crowd of people were packed into the town square. I paused to try to figure out what was going on (well that and with all the people in the way, I couldn't get through the square to my house). Staring through the crowd I saw a girl about my age in a pink outfit, standing in the middle looking shy. The mayor was standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder. I knew without a doubt she came from another world, like I had. I was so distracted that I didn't notice Riku dock and jump up onto the boardwalk until he latched onto my arm.

"Gotcha," he says mock-menacingly. My eyes widen and I turn to face him, I had already forgotten that he had reason for revenge and that I should have been running for safety. He had an evil glint in his eye that told me he had a plan but luckily I was saved, just as Sora tumbled onto the dock, the mayor noticed the three of us and called out.

"Ah! Just the kids I was looking for! Come here you three." I heaved a sigh of relief and Riku looked disappointed. Sora grinned at both of us, reading us perfectly. He was also the only one who looked half decent, despite being damp, he was sand-free and his hair looked the same as it always did. On the other hand, Riku had sand plastered down his back and in his hair, and my clothes still dripped and I didn't even want to know what my hair must look like. Despite this I stepped into the circle of my neighbors toward the mayor and unfamiliar girl. Riku walked forward looking disgruntled, and Sora smiled pleasantly at the girl, as if trying to assure her we weren't insane. Our neighbors didn't find our states particularly shocking, they were used to the three of us to be a mess in one way or another. I think they found it endearing. Oh well.

The mayor smiled at us, smile lines wrinkling at the corners of his mouth. "Sora, Riku, Chai, meet Kairi. She's new here...like Chai was," the mayor says in lue of a better phrase. "I thought it would be best if she could hang out with you three, that you get her aquatinted with Destiny Islands."

Sora smiles, "Yes sir! We'll show her around! It'll be fun, right guys?"

Riku doesn't look as if he exactly agrees but nods anyway. I on the other hand, found the girl extremely interesting. Did she remember where she came from? Her family? What had happened to her world? The girl noticed I was staring at her, my head tilted to the side curiously, and her eyes seemed to widen. This of course made me increasingly curious but before I could continue wondering Riku nudged me and I realized I was supposed to say something.

"Sure, that'd be fun," I say.

"Splendid!" the mayor replies and pats Kairi on the shoulder. "Alright Kairi, you'll go with them, and they'll bring you back here at the end of the day. Don't worry, you'll like it here, I promise." Kairi took a step toward us and nodded. Our neighbors had slowly gone about their own business now that everything seemed to be settled. The mayor himself walked into the courthouse and disappeared behind it's doors. Kairi looked each of us over, noticing the sand and varying stages of soaked-ness. Finally she burst out laughing. We all stared at her confused.

"I-I'm s-s-s-sorry!" she stutters between giggles, "I-it's just, the mayor kept s-saying what g-good kids you all w-were and then I meet you and you're a-all-"

"Soaked?" I offered with a grin, realizing where she was coming from.

"Y-yeah," she says, her giggles finally dying down.

"Well, we get like that a lot," Sora comments, nodding. "It's in our nature- and those two can't help but fight- which normally is what results in our varying states of..."

"Being soaked?" Kairi offered with a smile.

"Exactly, but sometimes it's sand, or ice cream, and one time it was iced tea, and the time with sticky rice was pretty funny..." Sora trailed off.

"Don't listen to him, it only encourages him," Riku suggests and Sora snaps back to the present.

"Hey! That's mean Riku!" Sora complains.

"No, it's funny," Riku replies.

"No, this is funny," I say indicating the streak of sand down Riku's back.

"That reminds me..." Riku starts cryptically, reaching a hand into his pocket and pulling out a number of large slugs.

"No slugs!" I shriek and ran as fast as I can to the nearest palm tree and climb to the top as quickly as possible, raining bark down on Riku's hair.

"Come on Chai, come on down," Riku calls up to me as I sit on top of the tree.

"Uh, uh, no way. Not 'til you put those poor slugs back where they belong."

"'Poor slugs'?" Kairi asks Sora.

"Well, Chai doesn't mind slugs, just doesn't like them crawling on her, you know? Of course that's what Riku plans on, so she wants them released."

"You're not being a very good host to Kairi up there in that tree."

"And you're not being very nice to those slugs!" I yell back down. "I'm not coming down 'til you put the slugs back!"

"I could just climb up there you know."

"Then I'd throw coconuts at your head."

"She would too," Sora tells Kairi.

Riku sighs, "Fine, I'll 'release' the slugs, but you're still in for it. You'll be completely unsuspecting then next thing you know my revenge will strike."

"You better be putting those slugs down while you're proclaiming doom."

"I am, I am," Riku mutters, rolling his eyes. "Okay, they're all gone now. You can come down." I slid down the tree.

"Thank you kindly," I say with a sarcastic smile.

"You were so much nicer when you didn't talk," Riku responded sweetly.

"But nearly as funny," I say, slapping him on the back, leaving a chalky hand-print in the sand. "Aaaanyway, I'm going home and changing for real now. Do you want to come with me Kairi, or stay with those?" I asked, pointing at the boys. Riku scowled as Sora smiled, not quite realizing a mock-insult.

"Funny," Riku says scathingly and I smile.

"See? I told you I was funnier now."

Riku simply rolled his eyes. "Actually I'm going home to shower since someone got be covered in sand."

"Sora?" I asked.

"Actually I'm headed over to Riku's too, his mom said she'd make me breakfast..." Everyone knew Sora loved Riku's mother's cooking.

"Again? Sora I think my mom's trying to make you fat," Riku comments.

"Just because I appreciate her cooking-"

"Yes, Yes, we know," Riku says, "and make sure you invite that charming Sora boy over for dinner again, he's such a nice little boy. Always so polite," Riku mimicked his mother in a high female-like voice.

"Well, unless you want to watch Sora eat or Riku shower, and I'm sorry for both of those scaring mental images, you can come with me," I tell Kairi.

"Excuse me?" Riku asks.

"You're right, I'm sorry, Sora has excellent table manners at the dinner table."

"But not so much at my house or hanging out in front of the TV," Sora confirms for Kairi's sake.

"I give up," Riku says and starts walking away in the direction of his house, Sora scrambling after him after waving at Kairi and myself.

"Alright, I live just over here. Just follow me." Kairi nods and follows me. I let myself into my house and call into the interior.

"I'm home for a change of clothes!"

"Oh, hello Chai dear. Oh, and you must be the Kairi I heard about. Welcome to Destiny Islands." I left Kairi to talk with my guardian as I went to find new clothes.

My room was a mess, the bed wasn't made, and the closet had clothes spilling out of it. The floor was covered in video games and scraps of paper, some blank, some covered in writing, some in drawings. I tried to gather them into a kind of stack and placed them on my already covered desk. There was a computer there, the power off, along with several dog-eared notebooks, empty soda cans, nail polish, and a lamp. Walking toward my closet I trip over a pair of shoes that had been hiding under a sweater, and just manage to catch myself before I fall. I pick up the shoes and toss them into the over stuffed closet, hoping to prevent further self-injury. I leap over a couple piles of miscellanies books to a shelf holding a tank in which a snake sat, basking under a heat lamp.

"Good morning Gill." The snake stared at me for a moment then closed its eyes and returned to basking. His name wasn't really Gill, it was Gillius-nacht, but Gill was just shorter. His name didn't have any real meaning, but hey, I was about 5 when I named him, give me a break. Next I dug through a pile of what I believed were clean clothes hung over the back of my chair. Finally I managed to find a tank top and pair of shorts and pulled them out. I popped into the bathroom across the hall, deciding a quick shower was in order. When I got out, redressed in clean clothes, with a towel wrapped around my head, I found Kairi sitting on my chair, looking through one of the many books that were stacked around my room.

"You like that book?" Kairi jumped and glanced up. "You can borrow it, I've got lots of books if you hadn't noticed. Feel free to look through them."

"Thanks," Kairi said.

"Don't mind the mess, I hope you didn't injure yourself trying to get in, it can be tricky to navigate my floor. And I swear the mess shifts when you're not looking." Kairi laughs and shakes her head.

"Alright, let's go see if we can't find Sora and Riku, they should be good to go by now." Kairi stands and follows me out of my room.

"Chai, where did you come from?" Kairi asks suddenly and I pause while walking down the hall. She continues, "It's just that the mayor said that I was new here...like you were new here...and there was something about you that I just knew you were..."

"From another world?" I ask and continue walking.

Kairi remains where she is for a moment then follows me, "Well...yes...I suppose that would be right. Another world..."

"To answer your question...I'm not from this world, the Islands. I- I'm not sure how it happened, but I fell from my world to this one, into the ocean. I washed up on the shore on the play island and Sora and Riku found me. I've been here ever since."

"...How long have you been here?" Kairi asks.

"About eight years now."

"But that means you would have had to have been-"

"I was four years old."

Kairi gasps, "But that's terrible. And I thought it was hard for me, I felt so lost, and like...like..."

"Like half your heart was ripped out and thrown into a blank darkness."

Kairi shivered, "Yeah, you could put it like that. It was so very cold, without any light at all..."

"Falling for forever. I remember it, no matter how long ago it was."

"I hated the falling," Kairi shook her head. "But what about the world you came from, your family...?"

"I don't remember it," I turned my face away from her, I knew my eyes would have shown the lie.

Kairi grasps my arm, "Neither can I. I feel it there, as if...I know I was someone, that I was somewhere I belonged and now I'm suddenly not and that place is gone... Hey! For all we know we could be sisters!"

I smiled at that and turned to look at her, "Yeah?"

"Yeah!" she replied. I grinned.

"Alright, then we're sisters."

"Yay!" As we conversed we had made it all the way to Riku's door, I was just about to knock when I heard a noise above me. I leapt back, jerking Kairi back with me, as what I would estimate as about a pailful of dirt comes pouring down and hits the front step where we had just been standing.

"You know you're gonna be the one cleaning the dirt of the stairs, right?" I called up at Riku as he broods over his foiled attempts and having to clean up. I open the door and just walk in, knowing Riku's mom wouldn't mind.

We passed his mom as we made for the stairs. "Oh! You must be Kairi, Sora was just telling me about you!"

"Yes, ma'am, that's me," Kairi responds.

"Excuse us, but I must go seek revenge on your son, he attempting pouring a pail of dirt on us." She put her hands on her hips.

"That boy...you be sure to teach him a lesson, and tell him he going to clean it up!"

"Will do!" I respond cheerfully, heading up the stairs, Kairi in tow.

When I got to the top of the stairs and slammed Riku's door open Sora was rolling on the floor in laughter as Riku stood guiltily at the window, as if he had spent the last couple minutes staring in disbelief at the spot of dirt on his front stairs. I glanced at Sora.

"You didn't support this in any way did you?"

Sora stopped laughing immediately and sat up strait shaking his head, eyes wide.

"Good. Riku, you're mom wanted me to tell you that you have to clean that up."

Kairi quickly added in, with a smile, "And that Chai is supposed to 'teach you a lesson'."

Riku pales, "My own mother is set against me?"

"Hey, you dumped dirt on your own front steps," I shrugged. "Anyway, I figured we could start by showing Kairi the play island, you know, like you guys did for me."

Sora jumped up, "That's sounds like a great idea!" he cried and started making his way to the door. Riku grumbled something incoherent and followed. Kairi and I followed, laughing. When we got down stairs, we found Riku's mother handing Riku a broom, while Sora stood by and snickered behind his hand. We jumped over the pile of dirt outside the front door and told Riku we would meet him at the dock. He just grimaced in response and turned to start sweeping the dirt away.

As the three of us walked to the dock, Sora curiously questioned Kairi.

"So Kairi, did you come from another world?"

"Uh-huh."

"What was it like?" Sora asked excitedly.

Kairi shook her head sadly, "I don't remember."

"Oh..." Sora said, his face disappointed.

"I'm sorry," Kairi says.

"No! No! I'm sorry! I'm asking you all about yourself and you can't even remember, I can't imagine how hard it must be not remembering!"

"You get used to it," I add, taking pity on both of them.

Sora's eyes suddenly widened, "But Chai..." then he put his hands over his mouth.

I tilted my head curiously, "But what?"

Sora shook his head, "Forget I said anything, it's nothing!"

Now I was not about to have any of that. I stopped walking. "But what?" I asked again.

Sora looked torn and slightly nervous. He glanced at Kairi, but he started talking anyway. "You...you have nightmares."

I nod slowly, it was no secret, I sometimes still dreamed of Lisson and his heart being stolen, not often, but every once in a while. They were a constant reminder. I had even had them once or twice when the three of us had had a sleep over, so it wasn't surprising that he knew.

Sora paused briefly before continuing, "It's just...when you have your nightmares...you call out the name 'Lisson'." I froze. I had no idea that I spoke aloud during my nightmares.

* * *

**And i shall leave it there as it is getting long. I don't know when i'll have the next chapter but hopefully soon(ish).**

**Thoughts, desires, dreams? Please share with me, i love reviews. **

**and also, if anyone has any ideas for a better title i would love to hear it. Thanks for reading! **


	4. Lisson

**Oh dear, it's certainly been a while since I updated. I am sorry! I am also sorry that his is rather short, only about two pages, but since it has been so long I decided I may as well put it up. I find it interesting that whilst I hate Kairi in the game, particularly the first game, I write her in as a really good character in my story. oh well, I'm mental, that's the way it goes. I hope you like the chapter!**

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**-I Don't Remember: Chapter 4-**

**Lisson **

"Chai? Chai?!" Sora waved a hand in front of my face, concern etched on his face. I didn't respond, I just continued to stare at him, I didn't know what to say, what to do, under my calm skin was turmoil. The mere mention of Lisson's name sent me back to that day all those years ago. Running, the desperate feeling, the panic, fear, empty loss, pain. If a shiver ran down my back I was too numb to feel it. I was trapped in thought but I could still hear what went on around me.

I heard brief footsteps outside my body; they faintly underlaid a vision of Lisson's heart being torn from his chest.

"Hey, why is everyone just standing around here, I thought you'd be at the dock by now." It was Riku's voice, I tried to pull out of the memories but they were sucking me under a dark, glossy surface.

"It's Chai, she-"

"Sora what did you do?" Riku must have gotten a good look at me, I briefly wondered what I looked like before my mind was washed over in a panic by the images in my mind's eye.

"I didn't mean to! We were just talking and I know we promised not to say anything about her past, but it just kinda slipped out. I didn't mean to!"

Riku groaned, "What are we supposed to do now?"

The last time I remember feeling like I was right now was all those years ago, when I had first arrived here, Riku and Sora had found me on the beach and argued over what to do while I could barely hold on to consciousness, followed by weeks of a coma-like state. I didn't want that ever again, but now that it had started, I didn't know how to stop it. Suddenly I felt my feet leave the ground and I couldn't comprehend what was happening until I was surrounded by cold, salty water. Someone had thrown me into the ocean. My body's need for conscious thought for survival and the chill of the water shocked me out of the memories and I took a deep breath of water and choked. I struggled in the water; not knowing which way was up until an arm latched around my waist and pulled me toward the surface. My head broke the surface and I coughed, spitting out water and then gasping in large breaths. I turned to find Riku was holding me above the water and Sora and Kairi were watching worriedly from shore. I smiled weakly at Riku.

"I'm okay now," I reassured him between deep breaths, treading water on my own.

"Don't ever do that again," he warned, still gasping in air himself.

I smiled a bit stronger, "Normally I'd make a joke right about here, but I just don't feel up to it at the moment."

"And normally I'd push your head under the water, but considering you forewent the joke, I suppose we can skip the dunking." I laughed then and started back to the dock, Riku swimming just behind me. Sora and Kairi helped drag me back onto the dock, not seeming to mind they got all wet. I sat dripping on the dock as Riku pulled himself up out of the water as well. Sora and Kairi stood in silence for a couple moments until Kairi timidly questioned, "If-if it's alright to ask...what just happened."

My friends all turned to look at me and I shook my head slowly, "I-I don't really know. I'm not sure what just happened myself. It's just- sometimes it's easier not remembering then it is knowing what has happened." I glanced at Kairi as I said it. It was true, I would much rather be like her, completely unable to recall my past, rather then being able to remember those last moments of my old life so vividly.

"I-" I paused and tears started flowing out of my eyes and Sora and Riku started at me in shock, I hadn't cried in years. Not when I fell out of a year a couple years ago, not when my pet frog died when I was seven, not even when Riku told me Santa didn't really exist.

"Lisson died-protecting me. I was only four, a-and he told me to run. He was right behind me, we were running and running and we were so close to the sunlight- so close to getting away. But then he fell. Lisson fell. Th-they got him, they took his heart, a-and I couldn't do anything. I was just a little girl and there were so many. And then the darkness took me and I didn't know what was happening but I knew Lisson was gone, my world was gone."

All three stared at me without breathing, but I wasn't looking at them, I couldn't see properly through the tears anyway. Surprisingly it was Kairi who first stepped forward and kneeled down next to me. She wrapped her arms around me in a hug and I just kept crying.

"Shh, it's okay. You're here now, and you're safe from the darkness. The sun is shining bright. Lisson died saving you, which meant he cared and that he didn't mind that he died as long as you lived. That means you've got to live for the both of you. You can still be sad, it wouldn't be right if you weren't, but you can't let the sadness take over you. I bet Lisson wouldn't want you to be sad, he'd want you to be happy." The tears were slowly stopping. I nodded the slightest bit.

"He-he'd be really happy if he could see me here on Destiny Islands. I have friends here, and I got strong, I can take care of myself now so no one else will even get hurt because they have to protect me."

Sora and Riku swooped in then. Riku ruffled my hair until it practically stood up strait, "People don't protect you because they think you can't do it on your own, they do it because they _care_, stupid."

"What Riku means is we'll always be there for you because we're your friends and we care about you," Sora added. I considered whether I had trained so hard to become strong hadn't been so I could protect myself but rather to protect those I cared for if I ever had too. I would be willing to lay down my life for anyone on this island, on any of the Destiny Islands. This must have been what Lisson felt on that day near the river. The thought made my heart glow.

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and stood on slightly wobbly legs and grinned, it was still a little weak, but it was a smile none-the-less. "Well what are we doing waiting around here? Aren't we supposed to be taking Kairi to the Play Island? I think we should really show her the Secret Spot too," I said.

Riku sighed, "What is it with the two of you, it's called 'Secret' Spot for a reason!"

"Awww, come on Riku, it's just one more person!" I pleaded before Sora could.

Riku threw up his arms, "Fine! Kairi can know about the Secret Spot, but no more people!"

"Yay!" Sora and I proclaimed in unison.

* * *

**I am sorry it was short but I hope you liked it anyway. I'd love to hear what you think of it so please leave a review!**

**also I love reading other people's stories so if you know of a good one please share it with me!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Three Years Later

**Gah, I've had this chapter about three quarters finished for some time now and I finally went in and fixed it up and checked on the lines to be sure I remembered them correctly. That's right, we've reached the point when you will now start recognizing what is going on. Well, I hope you like the chapter, enjoy!!**

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**­-I Don't Remember: Chapter 5-**

**Three Years Later**

"Gimme a break Kairi," Sora complained sitting up as the red-haired girl's face hovered over him.

"Sora, you lazy bum. I knew I'd find you snoozing down here," Kairi returned laughing.

"No! This huge black thing swallowed me up! I couldn't breath, I couldn't-Ow!" Kairi smacked Sora lightly over the head.

"Are you still dreaming?" she questioned him.

"It wasn't a dream!" he argued then paused, unsure, "Or was it? I don't know. What was the place? So bizarre..."

"Yeah, sure," Kairi responded, walking toward the ocean, still not believing.

"Say Kairi, what was your home town like? You know, where you grew up," Sora questioned, curiosity peaked.

"I've told you before, I don't remember," Kairi answered reasonably, staring out over the water.

"Nothing at all?" Sora pressed.

"Nothing," the redhead shrugged.

"You ever wanna go back?"

Kairi paused to consider, "Well, I'm happy here."

"Really..."

"But you know..." she continued, "I wouldn't mind going to see it!"

"I'd like to see it too. Along with any other worlds out there. I want to see them all!" Sora said enthusiastically.

"So what are we waiting for?" Kairi questioned.

"Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?" a new voice asked. Sora and Kairi turned to see Riku standing there. "So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft." Riku tossed his log at Sora and walked over to Kairi, "And you're just as lazy as he is!"

Kairi giggled, "So you noticed."

"And I'm the one stuck doing all the work," Riku collapsed dramatically into the sand.

"What about Chai?" Sora questioned.

Riku rolled his eyes, "Too easily distracted. She climbed a palm tree to get a seagull egg and now she's standing on top of the tree eyes closed and arms spread out pretending to fly."

Sure enough when Sora looked, he could see Chai's figure perched on a tree near to paupo island, arms spread wide. Kairi looked too and laughed.

"That sure looks like fun, if I wasn't so sure I'd fall, I would try it," Kairi commented.

"Well I'm not so sure Chai won't fall," Riku responded sighing—just before the figure a top the tree begins to plummet toward the ground.

"OH!" cried Kairi as Sora and Riku both leaped up. A voice behind them intoned, "You guys have no confidence in me what so ever."

"Chai?!" all three cried whipping around.

"In the flesh. Honestly, I'm not fool enough to fall."

"But..."

"Don't try, you'll hurt your brain." I tossed a sea gull egg to Kairi. "I got the egg." Kairi caught it and stared at me.

"But, but...How'd you do it?" Sora asked confused.

"Simple, I didn't."

"But-"

"Don't, you'll only strain something." Sora pouted and I took pity on him and sighed.

"It wasn't me up there, well, not while you were watching. That was a bunch of palm leaves tied together. I thought it looked cool. Didn't realize it would freak all of you out. I'm glad you care though, its sweet."

Riku rolled his eyes, "Why we put up with you is beyond me." I shrugged and plopped down in the sand as Riku and Sora did the same. Kairi simply laughed.

"At least as was helping out with the raft," I added, laughing at Sora and Kairi.  
Kairi laughed again, "Okay, we'll finish it together! I'll race you!"

"Huh?" was Sora intelligent reply.

"What, are you kidding?" Riku added but I simply smiled and readied myself to leap up from the sand.

"Ready? Go!" I took off, taking a good lead as Riku and Sora glanced at each other in disbelief before leaping up and giving chase. Kairi laughed and ran after them.

* * *

Needless to say I won the race, you can't have that good of a head start and lose. I was standing near the ladder leading up into the tower that overlooked the bay and our raft deep in thought when Sora came ambling by looking for the mushrooms Kairi had sent him after. I halted him with a smile and wave; I needed to speak with him. Kairi might have pushed his 'dream' aside but from the top of the tree I had seen how he tossed and turned in the sand, and had noticed a shadow to his eyes depths. 

"Hey, Sora, are you okay?"

"Of course I am!" he flashed his huge grin and I smiled in response. Sora may not be the brightest person and he could be rather naïve but he cared about his friends.

"Sora, I know you better than that, what's wrong? Is it the dream you had earlier?"

Sora sighed and his smile shifted to a small sheepish one. "Should have known better than to lie to you. I guess the dream was a little unnerving, that's all. It just felt so real. I can't really explain it. But there were dark things-they came from the shadows-and I was supposed to defeat them. There was something called a-a- keyblade. And then there was a really big shadow beast and I just kept attacking but nothing was happening and when I finally defeated it, the darkness still swallowed me up..."Sora cut off.

Shiver after shiver ran down my spine, what could his dream mean? I recognized the small creatures in his dream, no matter how vague the descriptions. Shadows-yellow glowing eyes and sickly claws, twitching gait-they haunted my nightmares for so many years. Sora was still watching me, eyes confused.

"I-I'm sure that it was nothing, maybe just...t-too many sweets messing with your head," I tried to reassure him and gave the best smile I could muster while messing up his already messy hair in a playful manner.

He beamed, "I guess your right, there's nothing to worry about. Thanks Chai, I can always count on you!"

I gave a strained smile but Sora was convinced and didn't notice as he hurried off to gather some mushrooms like he was supposed to. I watched as he completely missed one under a nearby bush. I finally felt a real smile slide over my features then.

Maybe...maybe they really were just dreams. Maybe we are safe here, where the shadows will never be. I looked up at the bright, cloudless sky–the sun shone bright on all the islands. How could the shadows ever inhabit this beautiful island, there is no darkness in which they can dwell.

I cheerfully went over to the bush and plucked the mushroom hiding there, smiling at being able to old it over Sora's head later; but as I stood once more I felt a brief chill that made me feel as if I would not be able to enjoy my haven-Destiny Islands–for much longer. That fear lodged into my heart even as I pushed it from my mind. How could I possibly bare to lose my home to the darkness once again? And what more would I lose this time? Just the world? My guardian? My friends? Myself? Riku, Sora, Kairi? I grasped the mushroom in my hand tightly.

No. I looked up defiantly; I would never allow the darkness to take anything from me again, and if it dared, I would steal it back–no matter what the costs. I was strong now, strong enough to take care of myself and defend those I loved. The darkness would not win.

* * *

I looked away from where Sora and Kairi seemed to be having a heartfelt talk on the dock–of course Kairi seemed to be doing most of the talking–to the sun setting over the ocean. I felt a smile tug at my lips, it was so beautiful. From my vantage point leaning against the base of the paupo tree with my arms crossed I glanced up at Riku, lounging on the branch. He was watching the sun set as well–or perhaps trying to see what we would find when we left. I felt a small trill of fear and squashed it back down. 

I watched Riku's look of concentration and sighed. "What do you think you're going to find out there Riku?" I had never argued against the idea–in fact I had always been rather enthused by it–but I never really expected to find anything, not how we were going about it. Just more ocean, going on forever.

Riku turned to look at me, his face thoughtful. "I don't know, Chai, I really don't know." He paused then added before he could think better of it, "But you might. Are you sure there's nothing you can tell us about what's out there, about the other worlds?"

"Riku–" I began warningly but he continued.

"If you'd just tell us, you must remember something about it–the people, the climate, the land, anything-"

I was shaking my head, hundreds of tiny snippets of memory were barraging me inside my head until finally I cried out, "Stop it Riku, just stop. I am your friend, and as such I refuse to let you use me as if I were just some random person. What I do or do not remember about my _home_ is up to me and me alone." I had emphasized home as a kind of barb, I wasn't happy with Riku for bringing up old pain when I was already so on edge, and acting like I didn't consider Destiny Islands my home was the first thing I could think of. I rather regretted it, as the Islands meant more to me then almost anything else but I couldn't take it back now. I turned and made for the bridge, stalking away from Riku, anxious to release the pent up emotions left like a residue by the old memories.

"Chai! Wait! I didn't mean it!" I heard Riku call but I ignored him and kept walking. I didn't even know where I was going until I found myself standing outside the entrance to the Secret Place. I felt my lips twitch in an almost smile and I ducked down so I wouldn't hit my head on my way in. I stood strait once more once I reached the end of the tunnel.

The cavern was still as much a wonder to me as the first time I entered it, the first day I had woke. The walls were almost completely covered in small sketches and childish scribbles by now. My eyes swept the walls until they met a small drawing on the far wall, near the floor. I watched in my mind's eye as a four year old me chalked determinedly at the wall, sitting on my knees. I made my way across the cavern before I even realized what I was doing. The image of the past dissolved as I kneeled before the small heart I had drawn. Hesitant tears leaked out of my eyes as I gently placed my hand against the drawing. It took a couple moments, but I slowly began to realize that it was not the past that caused the pain I felt, but the future. So many warnings; Sora's dreams, my own fears, and I had seen the confused and slightly frightened look on Sora's face as he had left the Secret Place just today. I don't know what he saw, but the look was enough to make me worry. The darkness was coming, I don't know when or how, but it was coming.

And I finally confronted my fears: What if while were we gone, pretending we could actually find something on that little raft, the darkness came. What if while we were gone, the darkness took and destroyed all I knew and loved? What if when we returned nothing was here anymore. What if, what if, what if. The two words were plaguing my mind.

Suddenly a hand fell on my shoulder. "Chai? I'm really sorry, honest. I don't know what I was thinking. I know that it's painful for you to remember, and it wasn't right for me to try to push you like that. Can you forgive me please?"

I used my arm to dry my eyes and turned to face Riku, an ironic smile twisting my lips. "The past has a way of coming back to haunt you." It was all going to happen again, and there was no way I could stop that. The sooner I could accept that, the sooner I could go on with my life, enjoy what was left of my time with those I cared about.

Riku grasped one of my hands and pulled me to my feet, he did look really sorry and slightly concerned. I nodded to myself and managed to give him a real smile, despite the water still in my eyes.

"Things will...be okay. The raft is gonna be awesome, I just know it. Maybe—maybe we really will find another world." Riku looked surprised and as if he wished to argue that my statement didn't have anything to do with what we were talking about but instead shook his head as he changed his mind.

Riku smiled, "I think your right. Come on, no more slaking off, we gotta go home and get some sleep, the raft's all ready for launch tomorrow!" Riku smiled again and started to head toward the exit. I smiled at his back, then glanced back behind me at the small heart. Maybe I'll be seeing you soon Lisson.

Then I turned away and followed Riku out of the Secret Place.

* * *

**This chapter was vaguely blah blah blah angst, no, actually i'm happy! never mind: angst, blah blah blah. I apologize. and yet at the same time I really loved this chapter. I'm weird sometimes. Oh well. i've had sugar, it is too be expected.  
**

**I hope you enjoyed and will come back for more! I love to hear what you think so please leave a quick review! Or a long one. Or one in consisting of entirely phonetic spelling of words, if you so desire. I just like reading reviews!**

**Oh! (shameless advertising) i almost forgot. If you'd like to read an Organization XIII fanfic, including Chai's future nobody (daunting isn't it? that's a looooong way off, but the story's are basically completely unrelated) you can check out Abduction written by my best-friend and i on our account electricpopsquids . Here is a link: Pop in and check it out!**


	6. Thunder

**I realize it's been a long time -.-' On the order of years. But i finally got myself actively writing this again. Can't say how long that will last, but while it does, i will continue to post it. **

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**-I Don't Remember: Chapter 6-**

**Thunder**

Chai sat bolt upright, her body drenched in sweat. She didn't need to look to know it had begun. That her world was starting to unwind. That it was the beginning of the end of her wonderful escape from the shadows.

She too ka deep, shaking breath then turned fearful eyes to the sky beyond her window. The sky swirled purple and black, lightning struck and thunder rumbled, shaking the pane of her window. The clouds were concentrated over her greater haven. The play island.

Oh no.

_The raft. _

**The **_**raft**_.

Chai was out of bed before she even finished thinking about standing. The raft that she and her friends had worked so hard to build. That they had dreamed about, planned with. Her friends would go. Her friends may already be there. And she couldn't allow them to face that nightmare alone.

The waves of the ocean made paddling to the island more difficult than normal, but she made it. Her arms were screaming at her, working against the choppy water, but all she needed was to see the three small boats tied up to the play island dock to feel her blood run icy and her muscles strain harder.

She did not even bother to tie up her boat when it dug itself into the sand of the shore. She leapt up from the rocking boat onto the wood of the dock, stumbling slightly as she landed, catching herself before she could fall. She lifted her head and saw.

They were there. The thing of nightmares. Of pain and suffering and fear and shadows and darkness blowing icy winds along her nerves. Her knees hit the wood of the dock hard—she had not even noticed she was falling.

It was shattering. She could see it all in her minds eye. This beautiful, sunny, heaven-like land she had shared in for years, fighting off the nightmare at bay, knowing that sometime, someday it would break through. It was over. It was _all_ over.

Some of the shadows twitched closer, watching her with hungry, empty, yellow eyes. She felt one brush her arm and suddenly it was like her blood was running lightning. Rage made her shake. Anger blew through her like nothing she had felt since that day back on her home world. That first day she saw these monsters. That day she had learned loss. Pain. Sorrow. True fear.

There was none of that now. Now…now there was anger. Rage. A hurricane inside her head and arms, and heart, and finger and toes and eyes and ears and mouth. She had made a promise to herself. She would _protect_ what she had here. Her home. Her life. Her _friends_. And these _monsters_ would not stand a _chance_ against her anger.

She did not know where she had grabbed the stick in her hand from, the smoothness of driftwood under her fingertips gave her a clue though. She did not know when she stood, all but growling into the darkness swarming around her. She watched as the shadow she had sent sprawling, a number of feet away twitched, slowly pulled itself back to its feet. And then it was forgotten as she slammed the stick like a make-shift club hurdling toward another, and another, sending them flying into the water and the sand of the beach near the dock.

The shadows near her eyed her warily now, hovering just out of reach, trying to sneak in. She spun around, slashing at another shadow. It splashed when it hit the water. Her eyes settled on the boats tied up once again.

Her friends. They were here somewhere. And she needed to find them.

She slammed a few more shadows out of her way and ran, ran off the dock, onto the island. Searching the darkness for a familiar shape. Lightning and otherworldly purple light threw the island into bizarre shadows and harsh illumination.

She slammed another shadow away from herself, holding the stick like a bat. She leapt onto the roof of the little shack that held the stairs up to the bridge. Sora and Riku played on that little island all the time, the bent tree where all four of them sat and talked and laughed and reminisced was on there. You could see almost all of the play island from that point. It was Chai's favorite place. It was Riku's favorite place. It was Sora's favorite place. And though Chai couldn't say for sure one way or another, but it may have been Kairi's favorite place too. And it was the epicenter of the strange storm that hovered above.

Chai slashed at two more shadows, launching them off the roof as she ran, her shoes slid slightly on the shingles. She leapt from the roof and onto the land beyond it. And then she heard them. Saw them. Sora. Riku. And more darkness than she ever wanted to see again.

Chai grasped at her chest as her heart pounded, her fear paralyzing her. Dark tendrils wrapped their way up from the ground, reaching. And in the center stood Riku, calm. Chai's heart pounded as her vision blurred and her hands shook as they grasped the front of her own shirt. In the dancing vines of darkness she saw another scene, one long past. Riku's figure shifted to another. Lisson.

Never again. Chai had promised herself. Never.

"The door has opened…" Chai's head shot up and the illusion was shattered.

"What?" Sora asked, watching his friend in confusion. Chai forced her heartbeat to slow, to calm. She released her crinkled shirt.

"The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!" Riku held his hand out, beckoning.

Chai stepped forward, to Sora's side as the boy responded, "What are you talking about? We've gotta find Kairi and Chai!"

"I'm here Sora," Chai said softly, and the boy turned to look at her. She could see the confusion in his eyes, the terror at his world being torn apart before his eyes. Riku met her eyes, holding her gaze as he spoke to Sora.

"Kairi's coming with us! Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

Chai's eyes went wide, the darkness was deepening beneath Riku's feet. Sora stepped forward, trying to grasp Riku's hand, but he would not step on the darkness, he stood on his toes just at the edge. He would not reach Riku.

She couldn't let Riku go alone. They could not be separated, four friends scattered. She would go, and then she and Riku could find Sora and Kairi again together.

They could not be alone. And the darkness would not separate them. Not if Chai had anything to say about it.

She ran forward, reaching for Riku, her foot touched the blackness on the ground, she felt the tendrils give for a moment and then…

The darkness…rejected her. With all the anger and all the rage and all the fear in her heart, and the darkness still rejected her. She gave a loud painful cry as she was launched away; she could see Sora's wide shining eyes, she saw the sand tree falling past near her flight, heard Sora yell Riku's name, and finally she saw the shocked look on Riku's face before he disappeared into the dark.

And then they all disappeared from her view as she fell beyond the bridge. Her head slammed against a tree and her teeth crashed together, cutting her tongue and the inside of her cheek. She collapsed to the ground at its base, and watched the storm above roil and turn. She could taste blood on her own tongue. Her head felt fuzzy.

She didn't know how long she laid there, her vision spotting. But then she saw them, out of the corners of her eyes. Their yellow eyes glowed out at her in the dark. Shakily she gained her feet, using the tree behind her to pull herself up. She grabbed up a branch from the ground nearby and dared the creatures to come any closer.

The ground shook beneath her feet, and a great cracking and rumbling noise rent the air. The tree behind her disappeared. Chai watched in fear as the very island itself cracked wide open, fissures spider webbed the surface, as the edges slowly disintegrated into darkness.

"No…" fell from her lips, as broken as the land around her. More trees disappeared, and some of the shadows fell into the chasms. And suddenly Chai was afraid. The ground shuttered beneath her feet again and split, with a cry she threw herself to the side, and stared down, down, down into the empty black maw, hungry for everything she had ever known and loved.

The crack widened, and yet more formed. Reaching spindling fingers, waiting to drag her down. Chai lurched to her feet, stumbling as her fear bolstered her forward. She swung wildly at any shadow that came too near her. Water sloshed around her ankles as she went. She reached the sandy ledge that separated her from the broken wooden bridge she had raced on so many times. That she would probably never see again.

Suddenly she realized where she was. The cove.

The _cove_.

Where their raft was. Chai flicked back around, wildly scanning the waves crashing against the cracked shore. There it was, their dream, their escape, and it was smashed to pieces along the shore, a sad ripped sail draped over its sad remains, rope floating on the angry swells. Her gaze lowered to stick in her hand, it was broken on one end and she recognized it—it had once been part of that raft's mast. She gripped it tighter and turned her back again. With a cry she swung at two shadows in her way as she ran at the ledge. She felt the water at her feet siphon away, sucking at her feet. She leapt at the ledge, grasping the foliage that hung over the top as her fingers slid in sand. There was a roaring behind her and she hauled herself up over the ledge and panted. She looked over her shoulder and shook. The ocean was gone.

And the cracks were growing. All the trees were gone. Chai staggered to her feet and ran. Ran for the broken bridge, skittered as the ground shook beneath her. She leapt, throwing herself across the bridge, her eyes locked on the door on the other side.

Chai's heart lurched into her throat as with a resounding crack, the bridge disappeared from beneath her. She heaved herself forward, landing with enough force to bruise, only feet from the door. She grabbed the broken stick back up from where she dropped it when she hit the ground and threw herself at the door.

She fell to the ground on the other side. There was hardly anything left. A great wind rent the door from beneath her hand. Sand swirled in the air on the wind. The storm still raged above, but it was bright, like daylight. The sand beneath her shifted and Chai crawled forward.

Riku was gone. Chai didn't know where Sora went. Chai never even saw Kairi.

She kept crawling, feeling the sand behind her disintegrating away. She still grasped the stick in her hand, an unconscious effort. A shadow fell over her hands in the sand and she looked up, going cold.

A giant shadow rose up out of the shifting sands and Chai felt her mouth go dry. There was nothing she could do. The wind increased, and debris rose into the air, wood and sand and rocks. Chai ducked as a broken two by four whizzed past her head. She crawled across the shifting sand as well as she could, feeling herself losing her grounding. Being lifted.

She saw some wood that was still buried in the sand and moved toward it, grabbing the grainy surface as tight as she could, her fingernails digging in.

She looked again to the giant shadow and saw the flash of metal around its feet.

"Sora…" she murmured, watching her friend attack the shadow, running from its giant, hands.

Sora slashed at the monster one last time and it fell to its knees. Chai felt the wind pick up even more, as the shadow rose into the sky, disappearing into the menacing-looking globe hanging over what remained of her world. Her home.

Her legs lifted from the ground, and she cried out as splinters drove into her fingers. She couldn't hold on anymore and she was ripped into the sky.

"SORA!" she screamed and the boy looked up, just as his own grip was severed from a plank of wood anchored in the sand. The roiling sand in the air made her eyes water in pain.

"CHAI!" he yelled, his arm reaching out toward her as they hurled into the sky. Too late.

Chai entered the glowing sphere and everything was gone. Sora was gone. Her friends were gone. The island was gone.

And she was lost in that terrifying, endless darkness from her youth yet again. Something she had hoped to never see again.

And just like before, she was all alone.

Chai felt solid ground below her once again, and distantly she heard the sound of a small stick clattering to the ground, and then even her consciousness left her.


	7. Traverse Town

**-I Don't Remember: Chapter 7-**

**Traverse Town**

Something damp and cold pressed against her cheek and Chai stirred. Her head hurt so bad, pounding loudly with her pulse. A spot near the back of her head felt raw and tender, and she hissed quietly when she tilted her head and that tender spot pressed against something soft and solid. She moved her head back away and slowly opened her eyes, then spent a moment convincing them to work together as her surroundings slowly came into focus.

Two dogs—Dalmatians—sat before her, their concerned faces were near her own, their wet noses nuzzling her face. She attempted sitting up slowly and the two dogs moved back slightly, watching her. She glanced around slowly, fearing moving any faster would cause her to require a bathroom, or bucket, and quickly. She was draped on a cushy orange couch in a house she did not recognize.

She leaned forward and gently placed a hand on one of the dog's head. It had a blue collar around its neck, a round, shining dog tag hung from it. The other dog, who had a blue collar, disappeared through a door across the room. Chai's fingers slid to the collar, and finally to the tag and took a closer look.

_Perdita_, it read. Chai looked back up when the door opened again. Chai lifted her head to see the other dog had returned, a glass of water balanced precariously on his nose, drops of water slipping on the hardwood floor.

The dog reached her and she took the glass gratefully and took long gulps that actually eased the pain in her head. She gasped when she finished, and pushed the empty glass down on the blue coffee table in front of her.

She patted the second dog on the head and then checked his tags. _Pongo. Pongo and Perdita._

"What happ—where am I?" Chai asked after a moment, forcing her thoughts to coalesce.

Perdita picked something up from the ground and nudged Chai's hand. Chai looked at it and went cold. A broken stick. Broken dream. Chai took it gently and stared at it. Pongo nosed at her hand and Perdita pulled at her shirt hem, convincing Chai to stand.

Chai set the stick next to the empty glass on the coffee table and stood. With her hands on the backs of the dogs, she was lead to a large window, next to a door with intricate stained glass fixtures.

The area outside the window was dark, but streetlights and the artificial glow of neon signs flooded the area. Gray cobblestones covered the small enclosed alley outside the door. Chai cocked her head and looked at the dogs.

Perdita pointed her nose up at the sky and Chai looked up. The stars were bright against the inky blackness of the cloudless sky, but Chai could not help but feel there were fewer stars than she remembered. She shook her head, she must be imagining things.

Pongo nudged Chai's hand and pointed his nose at the ground outside the window. Chai could faintly remember. Cold stone under her cheek. A gentle tucking at clothing at her shoulders. Damp noses pressed her his face and hands.

"You brought me in?" she asked. The dogs nodded.

"Thank you," she told them. She still didn't know where she was. She still didn't know what had happens. She didn't know…where her friends were.

Chai looked around the room again. It was spacious, and she knew there were more rooms beyond. There was a cello and a piano, and books littered the floor. A writing desk was in the corner, more books covered its surface. But it felt so…empty.

Chai crossed the room, her fingertips gently ran over the piano keys. Even lighter she ran her fingers alone the cello. A low rich note echoed through the room. Her eyes lifted to a portrait on the wall. There were Perdita and Pongo, and two happy looking humans—their owners she assumed—and more puppies than she had ever seen in her life.

But where were all the puppies now? Surely if there were so many she would be able to hear _something?_ See some evidence of their existence? Pongo and Perdita were beside her again, and Chai could hear them whine quietly. She glanced down at them and retracted her fingers from the cello.

Chai knelled down beside the dogs, who each had a forlorn look on their face. "Where are they? What happened?" Sad eyes regarded her. She scratched two sets of ears.

"I'm so sorry, you were separated? I was separated too, from my friends."

The dog's nuzzled her hands gently and Chai smiled faintly. "Are there…are there humans somewhere? That I can talk to? That can tell me where we are? That can tell me…" Chai wasn't sure what. How she got there? She knew, in a way. How to get back? There was nothing to get back to. How to travel to other worlds? Maybe that wasn't even possible. Maybe they would think she was crazy.

"That can tell me…if they have seen my friends?" she asked. The dogs looked at the door, but they whined, and Pongo pawed at her feet to get her attention.

"What is it boy?" she asked. Both dogs pointed back toward the window. Chai approached, and looked once again out into the alley. The shadows moved.

"Oh no…" Chai fell back from the window, a hand to her mouth. "Here too, not here too," she shook her head. Perdita licked her hand reassuringly.

Chai blinked at her. "They don't come in?" the dogs shook their heads. She really wished she could speak with them. How much simpler it could be. But they had said there were humans, so there must be some other safe area out there.

Chai's face arranged itself into a determined look. She had faced these monsters before. She knew how to keep them at bay. She once again picked up the broken stick from the table…all that remained of Destiny Islands.

The dogs whined again as she approached the door. She turned to them and smiled. "Don't worry, I know how to deal with them. I'm going to go find some answers, and I promise I'll come back."

Pongo and Perdita nodded and Chai took a calming breath before turning her hand on the door handle. She gripped the stick tight in her fist and burst from the door like she was shot from a cannon.

A shadow was smashed against the wall as she swung, and then another, and a third. They exploded into puffs of black smoke, pink hearts swirled off toward the starry sky. There was a light tinkling as what seemed to be munny fell to the ground. Chai supposed it could have belonged to…previous victims of the shadows. Either way she scooped it up—she didn't like it, but she wasn't stupid. She knew she'd need munny, no matter where she was.

The strangest things were the green orbs that the monsters had dropped. When Chai had touched one her fingertips tingled, and it felt like energy surged over her entire body, and then the orb was gone. Once the feeling died down Chai found she felt…better. The ache in her head had lessened, the soreness from her body was gone.

A couple more green orbs and it was like she'd never been launched head-first into a tree.

She shook her head and looked around. Next to the Dalmatian's house was a dead end, opposite that she could see that at the end of the alley that the area opened up. She could make out the neon signs of a hotel. Maybe there would be people there? Hotels meant people after all, right?

She gripped the stick tight once again and ran out into the open area. Shadows rose up from the ground and ran at her. She slammed them back, knocking them into one another. Munny scattered across the ground, but she didn't have time to scoop it up. She slashed at shadows as they continued to appear. Finally they relented, and her eyes scanned the area quickly.

There were no stairs leading up to the hotel, just benches again a wall. She followed the raised path around and her eyes settled on a flight of stairs against the opposite wall. There was her way up then.

She had only took a couple steps when she heard a strange clattering noise charging at her side. She swung around and raised the stick and it—shattered, splitters rained down on the ground around her as Chai stared at the shadow before her.

It was different than the black ones she knew. A little larger. A helmet rattled on its head, its yellow eyes watching her. Armored shoes clanked on the cobble stones as it twitched back and forth, ready to strike again.

Chai scooped up a handful of the munny scattered on the ground and slung it at the monster and it clattered against its helmet as she turned and ran as fast as she could. She tripped up the stairs, not bothering to look behind her. More shadows rose from the ground but she ignored them.

Ahead she saw a huge, wooden door. It looked thick. Impenetrable. She ran at it like a lifeline. Slammed against it with all her weight, and it budged, swung open just enough for her to slip through and slammed shut with a thud behind her.

She fell to her hands and knees beyond the door, panting. She felt a prick against her palm and she lifted her right hand. A small piece of the stick remained. She stared at it, catching her breath, and then finally sat back on her heels. She picked up the shattered piece and slipped it into her pocket and stood and allowed her eyes to take in her surroundings.

It was quiet…peaceful. No shadows rose from the ground. No screaming ran in her ears.

She stood and walked down a small flight a stairs and found a couple shops clustered with lights on. A mailbox was down another flight of stairs, where the cobble stoned area opened out, leading to the biggest set of doors she'd ever seen. And there were people, talking quietly, leaning against walls and pillars. Slowly Chai walked down the couple stairs and looked around. She knew she must look ridiculous, knees dirty, looking around with wide eyes, looking a little lost.

A hand fell on Chai's shoulder and she spun, remembering a moment too late that her weapon had shattered…and that there were no shadows here.

"Sorry," Chai apologized to the woman in pink who had touched her shoulder. "I guess things have been a little…" Chai didn't know what to say so she trailed off, but the woman had a look of understanding on her face.

"The Heartless," she said, her voice was gentle.

"The what?" Chai asked.

"The creatures of the shadows, that attack and steal hearts. They are greedy and mindless in their goal. They are called Heartless."

_Heartless_. Now Chai had a name to put to the monsters.

"Where are we?"

The woman's eyes looked sad. "You've lost your world, haven't you?"

Chai's eyes went wide. The woman knew. She knew there were other worlds. That they were blinking out, swallowed by the ravenous darkness.

"How do you know-?" Chai began and the woman shook her head.

"Come with me, I can answer all of your questions," the woman beckoned Chai to follow her and Chai was quick to do so. Answers. She was finally going to know what was happening. _Why_ things were happening.

The woman led her back up the stairs and approached a small house. The woman pulled out a key and unlocked the door. The woman flipped on the light and Chai stepped inside.

The room was mostly empty, some boxes were stacked in the corner, a low table was in the center, some empty shelves on the walls, and a couple wooden chairs. The woman gestured toward a chair and Chai took a seat, as the woman sat on another.

The woman pushed a lock of brown hair behind an ear. "My name is Aerith. And this is Traverse Town. It has become a place where people who's worlds have disappeared…are transported, I suppose. Even I come from another world. More and more lost souls have been appearing. It's three districts buts…only the first one, this one, is safe. The heartless roam in the other two."

"So my world _is_ gone then." Chai shook her head. "I mean, I knew that, I _saw_ it. Watched it disintegrate. Break apart and shake under my feet. There was this great shadow—Heartless—it was so big. My friend was fighting it, he had this…this big _key_. And then—"

"Key?" Aerith asked, suddenly leaning forward.

Chai nodded. "I don't know where he got it. I just knew that everything was over. That it was happening all over again."

Aerith blinked. "Again?" she asked after a moment.

Chai paused and looked up, "My original home. It was…a long time ago, I was really little. But it was taken by the Heartless, and I ended up on Destiny Islands. And now that home is gone too."

Aerith looked sad. "I'm so sorry…" suddenly the woman looked embarrassed and Chai realized why.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry. My name is Chai. I'm looking for my friends, Sora, Riku and Kairi. You said people end up here, have you seen anyone else my age?"

Aerith shook her head. "I'm sorry, I haven't."

Chai sighed, but she knew they had to be somewhere. Even if they were in another world she would find them. She would find some way to get there. She'd have to.

"So…what _are_ the Heartless? Where did they come from?" Chai asked.

"They are creatures without hearts, and they are greedy, always searching to fill the emptiness inside them. And they are attracted by the darkness in people's hearts. There is some darkness in every heart."

Chai thought of her rage, her fear, and knew that what Aerith said was true.

"The Heartless also seek to devour the hearts of worlds—that is what happens when a world disappears. And it is their presence that has resulted in the worlds being connected."

"There was a man. A man named Ansem, and he was studying the Heartless. And he recorded all of his findings in a report, but…the pages of it were scattered to many worlds. But we know one thing that can defeat the Heartless. It is called the keyblade. The Heartless fear it, and its master."

"Keyblade? Master?" Chai sucked in a breath, "Y-you can't possibly mean—"

Aerith shook her head, "That I do not know. But it is possible. The heart of a keyblade master is strong, pure. It's what allows them to call the keyblade, to use it."

Chai chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "That's Sora then. I have no doubt about it." Chai sighed, "I need to look for them. All of them. If they're here I need to know, and since you haven't seen them, they probably aren't in the first district but…there are Heartless in the other areas and…"

Chai fingered the piece of wood in her pocket. "I don't have a…a weapon anymore. Is there…is there someplace I can get one?" Chai wasn't sure how normal a question like that was, but she needed one. And she felt that Aerith wouldn't judge her request.

"Ah! Yes, I do know. There's an Item shop close by, three young ducks run the counter, they are from another world as well. They have some weapons that they carry for the purpose of defeating the Heartless. You can try there. Come, I'll take you."

Chai followed the woman, who once again locked the door. Chai could see the Item store sign from where she was. They had not walked far when a voice called out.

"Hey Aerith! Leon says he needs us!" Chai turned to look, a female stood at the top of the stairs, dressed like a ninja, and hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry Chai, I must go. You will be fine?" Aerith asked.

Chai smiled, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Go." Aerith smiled and turned to join the other girl.

Chai pushed open the door to the item shop and was glad she had grabbed the munny from the Heartless.

Three ducks, dressed in red, blue and green were talking, sitting on the counter. They looked up when she walked in.

"Hello!"

"Are you looking to buy something?"

Chai nodded and allowed the door to close again. "Anything I can bash Heartless with?" she asked.

The ducks looked at each other then smiled at Chai.

"Of course!" one said.

"What are you looking for? Magic rod? Shield?" another asked.

"Or something to bash them with?" the final finished with a grin.

Chai smiled, "Anything I can use smash them with, anything like a sword?"

The three ducks held a brief, quiet discussion then turned back to Chai.

"There is something—"

"But it still needs a lot of work—"

"It can be used—"

"But you'll want to do some sort of synthesis with it to make it stronger."

"It'll do just fine against the Heartless here though, right?" the duck in red said, asking his brothers for confirmation.

"Oh yes."

"Definitely."

The three held up a large blade that had a hefty grip and guard. She'd be able to slash and bash with it. It suited her just fine.

"How much?" Chai asked.

The three held another quiet conference.

"100 munny?" one of the ducks said.

Chai blinked, "Only 100?"

"Well like we said, it needs a lot of work."

"And you'll need to get the materials for it yourself."

"Not to mention pay the moogles to do the synthesis for you. "

"And besides…you look like you need it. And you'll do everyone a favor, getting rid of some of those Heartless."

Chai smiled, "Alright, deal." Chai counted out the munny and handed it to the duck in blue as the green and red ducks held up the blade to her. "Thank you," she said, taking it up in her hand. It felt good. Right. "Also…what are your names?"

"Huey!" called the duck in red.

"Dewey!" that was the duck in blue.

"Louie!" finished the duck in green as each of them struck a pose and Chai chuckled.

"My name is Chai. It was a pleasure meeting you. Now I need to go look for some of my friends."

"Did you all get separated?" Dewey asked sadly.

Chai nodded. "But I'm going to find them. We're like a family, like you guys. I'm sure we'll be together again."

"I can't imagine being separated from my brothers…" Huey said, and his brothers shook their heads.

"I know I'll find them," Chai said again, and bid the boys goodbye and headed back out into the first district.

First thing she wanted to do was make her way around the second district—there had been a lot of shops, a lot of places where people could be.

Chai pushed through the heavy doors separating the districts, her new sword at ready and leapt right into a fight. She cut down the oncoming Heartless with ease, now that she had a real weapon. Even the strange helmeted ones did not stand much of a chance now.

When the first wave of Heartless died down and the shadows cast by herself and lamps and buildings remained shadows, she moved to check the nearby shops.

They were empty, all of them. Clothes and shelves were strewn on the ground behind their cheerful display windows, no one stood smiling behind the counters. They were deserted. Chai supposed she wasn't really surprised. Chai was approaching the Hotel when Heartless burst from its doors.

She leapt back and slashed through two at once as she cried out in anger—her best probable human safe place, and it was brimming with Heartless. She destroyed all the Heartless that poured out, reaping the benefits of their passing, and watching hearts swirl into the sky above.

Without a second glance she continued past the Hotel and into a strange shop, the word "Gizmo" stretched over its entrance. Within she was set upon by more Heartless than she had ever seen in one area. She sliced viciously. These beasts that destroyed her home. Took her friends. That ate and ate and ate and never felt full, always ravenous for more—more of the darkness hidden away in every heart.

Chai panted, standing in the middle of more munny than she had ever seen in her life, and countless green, glowing orbs, sword hanging at her side. Not here either. Not here.

She burst out the far door of the shop, ready for more Heartless, but there were none on the small ledge she found herself on. There was a rickety ladder, that after no more than a moment's observation, Chai dubbed unusable. She moved to the edge of the ledge and looked down, she could just make out the entrance to the Dalmatian's house down and to the left, at the end of the alley formed by the building Chai stood on and the one across the way. Close enough that she could almost jump it. Almost.

From her vantage point, Chai looked out across the district. Nothing. No one. Only shadows, crawling across the ground. She craned her neck, Aerith had said there was a third district, where was it?

It seemed there was another small alley near the stairs that Chai had taken that first time through this district. She had been in such a hurry, she had not even noticed it then. Maybe there?

Chai took a steadying breath and leapt from the ledge she stood on, silently plummeting down on a couple unsuspecting shadows. Munny scattered across the ground with light tinkling noises and Chai stood straight once again. Her knees groaned a little at the shock of hitting the ground so hard, but she was otherwise fine.

She made her way to the alley by the stairs, taking a sharp left and destroying a helmeted Heartless with two slashes. More scattered munny. After this adventure, she'd never have to worry about munny again, Chai found herself thinking in some distant part of her brain, bemused.

_There! A door! And above it-!_ A sign above the door at the end of alley blared "3rd District" and Chai grinned.

Beyond the door she was surprised not to find Heartless waiting for her. Instead she found the end of the ramp she stood on to be blocked by a wall of some sort, made of blocks. Beyond it there was the sound of a fight, of metal clanging against something hollow.

And a voice. Chai felt the corners of her eyes prick as a grin split her face. She knew that voice. Would recognize it anywhere. She leapt on top of the nearby railing and pulled herself up on top of the block wall.

The battle bellow raged, and there, amidst the strange, giant armored Heartless's feet was a shining key, gripped in the hand of one of her best friends.

Chai gripped her sword and grinned like the cat who got the canary and the cream and leapt, aiming right for the great metal helmet.

Her sword rang loud at the contact and Chai flipped around at the force of her weapon rebounding back after the hit, and landed on her feet, free hand going down to the ground to steady her.

"Who?" she heard a strange, unknown voice ask as she stood straight again, sword at ready. She grinned cheekily over her shoulder at the three others, then launched herself back at the Heartless, sword ringing against the armor with every slash.

"CHAI!" she heard and felt the happiness in her heart practically burst; her face hurt from smiling. She'd found one of them! She wasn't alone anymore! She'd found one, and she knew she would find the others too. And no Heartless would stand in the way.

Chai saw Sora out of the corner of her eyes as they both leapt for the monster, Chai slashed viciously at the torso and Sora's keyblade spun, slamming the beast on the head. The entire suit of armor shook and fell in on itself, collapsing to the ground as Chai once again landed on her feet, Sora doing the same a second later.

A large, pink heart spun off into the sky as the armor slowly dissolved into nothingness as everyone watched in silence. Nothing was said until—

"Chai!" Chai turned and opened her arms just in time for Sora to slam into her in what was a faintly painful hug. Chai laughed and returned it.

"I'm so glad I found you! I'm so sorry I didn't reach you! I'm so sorry!" Sora apologized and Chai laughed, squeezing Sora tight.

"Don't be silly, you did what you could! We're together now, that's all that matters."

"Ahem," Chai and Sora looked up at the clearing of someone's throat nearby. Chai observed the impatient-looking duck, tapping his foot, and a tall dog, holding a shield and smiling good-naturedly.

"So who're your friends, Sora?" Chai asked.

"Oh yeah, Chai this is…wait…um," Sora rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Actually…I don't know. The guard armor attacked before we had a chance to really talk. I'm not even really sure what they want."

The duck sighed, "We've been looking for the wielder of the key," he looked pointedly at the keyblade gripped loosely in Sora's hand.

"So, you were looking for me?" Sora asked, blinking.

"Uhuh," both the dog and duck answered.

"They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the keyblade," Chai wheeled around at the unfamiliar male voice. A dark-brown haired man with far too many belts for pure necessity and a scar across his forehead stood nearby, his arms crossed. The young woman dressed as a ninja was also there, smiling and nodding.

"Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel," the dog offered, and Chai whipped her head back in excitement. A way to travel between the worlds!

"I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi…" Sora trailed off. Before Chai could say anything, the duck responded.

"Of course."

The dog leaned down toward the duck and asked in a quiet voice, "Are you sure?"

The duck rolled his eyes, and responded behind a wing, "Who know? But we need him to come with us to help us find the king."

Chai rolled her own eyes and the man with the scar spoke again. "Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."

"Yeah, I guess," Sora said, sounding unconvinced.

Chai put her hand on Sora's shoulder and smiled. "Come on Sora, I'm _sure_ Riku and Kairi are out there on some other world. All we need to do is find which one."

Sora looked a little more convinced, but Chai could see the hopelessness stifling the sparkle in his eyes.

The duck cleared his throat again, "But you can't come along looking like that. Understand? No frowning. No sad face. Okay?"

"Yeah, ya gotta look funny, like us!" the dog said happily, and the duck shoved him.

"This boat runs on happy faces," the duck continued.

"Happy?" Sora asked, focusing on the ground by his feet. The duck and dog nodded, looking expectant. Suddenly Sora lifted his eyes from the ground, a ridiculous grin plastered across his face.

The dog and the duck burst in laughter, supporting one another.

Chai laughed so hard, she felt like she was going to be sick, but it didn't matter. And yes, maybe some fear still lurked in her gut over this whole thing, whether they would be able to defeat the Heartless, whether they would ever find their way home. But she wasn't alone, and while they may be separated now, she knew that someday they would be together again. And nothing would stop her from seeing that day.

"That is one funny face," the dog said.

"Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys," Sora said, smiling.

"Donald Duck," the duck said, holding his hand—wing—out.

"Name's Goofy," the dog said, placing his hand over Donald's.

"I'm Sora," Sora grinned and put his hand in as well.

"Chai," Chai said simply, placing her hand on top of Sora's.

"All for one, one for all," Goofy said, smiling happily.

Chai smiled, still holding her side with her free hand. They would get through this together; her, Sora, this crazy duck Donald and Goofy. She just knew it.


End file.
